Who Are Your Modern-Day Heroes?

In our childhoods we all had our favorite superheroes. We admired them, dressed like them and pretended to be them. In school we learned that the real heroes were soldiers and army veterans who protected our countries, firefighters, police officers and doctors who saved lives.

Now that we’re adults, we’ve started giving the title “Hero” to those who inspire us, achieve powerful results and are always up for challenges.

Who are these modern-day heroes? Are they sports champions who take home the awards, or political figures with their better programs to serve the public, or celebrities who perform for thousands of fans, or technology innovators who introduce new cool gadgets to the public?

While all these professions have an impact on our lives, it feels like we lose the sight of what it really means to be a hero. Real heroes might be lacking respect and recognition they deserve.

Let’s define the meaning of “Hero”:

Someone who rises up to help another person in need despite any circumstances, position or other conditions in life.

Someone who makes a decision to sacrifice something of one’s self to change others’ lives for good.

A person who doesn’t seek glory or recognition, but instead, uses whatever attention he gets to increase the impact of his actions to a higher degree.

A person who contributes something beneficial to humanity as a whole or leads us to a better world.

A Hero doesn’t expect compensation for making a difference to someone’s life.

To accomplish heroic acts we don’t need to be someone different from who we are. All we need is a willing mind and a willing heart. There are a lot of heroes out there, who achieve extraordinary feats to make a difference in the lives of others every day and all their actions go undocumented, unheard of, and unrecognised.

Teachers who spend their personal unpaid time to help struggling students. True friends who don’t leave when something bad happens and take the initiative to get involved to help with money and other resources. Doctors who save a life of person with no medical insurance. Volunteers who devote their time to help non-profits achieve their missions of supporting children and seniors in need or protecting nature. A person who constantly donates his hard-earned money to good causes to make a change in this world.

Even small intentions can lead to a positive outcome, change a situation that would otherwise be harmful.

Nelson Mandela, an international symbol of dignity and tolerance, led the emancipation of South Africa from white minority rule and served as his country’s first black president.

Malala Yousafzai, a 15 year old Pakistani girl, who was shot in the head because she criticized the actions against women in her country and believed that every girl should have the opportunity to go to school. Even after her recovery she continues standing up for girls and women’s rights.

Who are your heroes? What have they done that you honor them with this title?